T+L's Definitive Guide to Barcelona

T+L's Definitive Guide to Barcelona

Stylish design, eye-popping architecture, a Mediterranean climate, and one of the most dynamic culinary scenes in the world are just a few of the many reasons to visit Barcelona.

Lay of the Land

From historic Barri Gòtic to edgier El Born, here’s a neighborhood guide to the city.

La Barceloneta: This area along a three-mile stretch of beach is chockablock with beachfront seafood restaurants, which are good but pricey.

Barri Gòtic: Barcelona’s old quarter is traversed by the crowded La Rambla. Skip it and make your way up tiny side streets to La Boqueria market and down to the peaceful Plaça Reial.

L’Eixample: With the birth in the 1860’s of this extension to the old town, Barcelona became one of the few European cities planned on a grid. The Passeig de Gràcia, with luxury boutiques and surreal Gaudí buildings, is the area’s main artery.

Stay

The room design feels Scandinavian (blond wood; clean lines), as does the in-house Finnish sauna. But Xavier Franco’s Michelin-starred, modern Catalan restaurant, Sauc, is a love song to the city. $$
Best For: Boutique cool in a central location.

La Barceloneta isn’t exactly remote, but this beachfront skyscraper still manages to feel far away from it all. The ace in the hole is the Arola restaurant, run by experimental-tapas whiz Sergi Arola. $$$
Best For: Luxury seekers who favor jaw-dropping views.

The first hotel by designer Patricia Urquiola, on Passeig de Gràcia, is a mix of cream-colored leather ottomans and chairs, delicate latticework, and pine. Bonus: renowned chef Carme Ruscalleda’s Moments restaurant. $$$
Best For: Sophisticated travelers in search of a little Zen.

Abac Restaurant & Hotel: Despite the far-northwest location, this high-end restaurant serving deconstructed neo-Catalan cuisine has been a power-lunch destination ever since chef Jordi Cruz earned it a second Michelin star this year. Order raw hamachi with cherries and cucumber snow followed by violet ice cream with yogurt and flower nectar. $$$$

Can Maño: Join the locals and line up outside this no-frills seafood canteen in La Barceloneta for fried artichokes and calamari washed down with amber-colored Moscatel wine. 12 Carr. del Baluard; 34/93-319-3082. $$

Restaurant Pricing Key$Less than $25$$$25 to $75$$$$75 to $150$$$$More than $150

Local Take

Get an insider’s peek at the city from three natives.

Carles Gaig

Chef of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Gaig

Barcelona has everything I could ever want in a city. I buy fresh produce for my restaurants at La Boqueria market, in the old quarter. Xampanyet($$), in El Born, is my go-to spot for a glass of cava and tapas. (Try the tinned mussels and clams.) When I need inspiration, I go hiking in the Collserola Mountains. They have a wide variety of plants and are only a 30-minute drive north of the city center.

Josep Bohigas

Architect behind El Born museum

Perhaps it’s because I’m an architect, but I like to see Barcelona from above. The Atalaya cabin ride above the city at Tibidabo park is magical. On weekends, I enjoy exploring the Turó de la Rovira(Carr. de Marià Labèrnia), a hilltop park and the site of a civil war antiaircraft battery. For a sky-high meal with 360-degree views, Torre de Alta Mar($$$$), a restaurant at the top of a tower with a cable-car station to Montjuïc, has a delicious creamy risotto with prawns.

Rosa Esteva

Designer of luxury women’s-wear label Cortana

My new favorite spot to eat is Bar Mut($$), which serves excellent eggs with shrimp and pine nuts—it’s packed with locals. Another place I love: the backyard terrace of Cafè 1907($$$), in Sant Gervasi-la Bonanova. The food is organic, and the vibe is laid-back; it’s like being in a private house. For shopping, I’m a fan of the contemporary jewelry at Magnolia Antic. Nearby is the Pink Peony, where you can get a great massage.

Trips Out of Town

Girona: Eighty minutes away by train, this ancient city has Moorish and Romanesque buildings and one of Spain’s top tables, El Celler de Can Roca($$$$).

Sitges: Spend a day strolling the narrow cobblestoned streets and beaches of this resort town, roughly 45 minutes southwest by train.

Cadaqués and Port Lligat: Drive two hours north to the whitewashed seaside town of Cadaqués, the stomping ground of Marcel Duchamp, Federico García Lorca, and Salvador Dalí.